Chapter 1

NOTES:

Hi everyone and welcome to this fic!
First of all, I would like to thank you so much for trying out this story.

This story has some tags I feel like I should have mentioned, but I don't want to spoil the story...
So! If there is anything you feel uncomfortable with, please don't hesitate and ask me about the topics of this fic in the review section! I will answer your question as soon as I can :) (so I guess this is kind of a "read-at-own-risk"-ish fic...

This first chapter will only have the trigger "Character Death" because, well... That's what this fic is about... solving murders... So please keep that in mind :)

Anyway! without further ado, please enjoy the first chapter of this story!

'Mister Killian, breakfast is ready.' A woman's hand knocked on the door, disturbing the silence and tranquility that lingered through the hallway of the old countryside mansion just outside New York. It was still early and quite dark, grey clouds blocking the sun, rain trickling down against the tall and stately windows. The woman turned with a sigh as she did not receive an answer and let her burgundy colored nails rest against the cold glass of the window behind her.

She stared into the garden, carefully holding a tray with some toast, coffee and the newspaper. The view was beautiful no matter where one would stand, but she liked it best from here, the third floor, overseeing every flower, bush and tree.

'Horrible weather, huh?'

The young woman looked up at the sound of a familiar voice. She smiled as she saw Bucky Barnes walking down the corridor. 'Not really,' she shrugged and looked outside again. 'What is horrible to us is bliss for the plants and trees.' She laughed as the man raised a questioning brow. 'You're up early, Bucky.'

'Still not as early as you, Wanda,' The man smirked and stopped next to her. 'I tried knocking on that door fifteen minutes ago. Noting. He must have gone home already.'

'Well, I'll just have to try again. Maybe he's still sleeping,' the woman said determinately, a grin on her face as she ignored the indifferent shrug her friend gave her as he walked away.

'Mister Killian, Miss Potts has asked for your attendance later today. She would like for you to look into some financial documentations,' Wanda tried again, but in vain. She placed her hand against the door, opening it gently. 'Sir?'

She peeked inside and saw that the large bedroom was empty. The bed was perfectly made, the large television hanging from the wall broadcasting the early morning news. She tilted her head, then sighed in irritation as she noticed the open casement window through which rain was pouring in. She placed her tray on a table and walked into the room with big steps. She leaned slightly out of the window to close it and cursed softly in her native tongue as her clothes soaked in the rain.

She then squinted her eyes and looked up, noticing that the American flag that used to hang proudly on the outside of the building was gone. Instinctively she looked down, figuring it must have fallen.

She gasped, her soaked hands covering her mouth as she saw the lifeless body of Aldrich Killian, covered in the mud-stained American flag.

The garden was swarming with police within a matter of minutes after Wanda had called 911. Men in white overalls were investigating the crime scene, taking pictures and searching for… Well, Wanda was not quite sure what they were searching for. Evidence, probably.

She was sitting on the steps of the front door porch, the cold marble still wet from the rain. She looked up and squinted to protect her eyes from the bright Summer sun that had started to break through grey clouds and saw a dark red sports car driving up the property.

'Okay, Stark, all I'm saying is that I won't blame her if she gives you a ticket for speeding.' A blond man argued towards his college as he stepped out of the car.

'What can I say, Rogers? Murder is an emergency, I'm sure she'll cut me some slack. We're colleagues, after all.' The other countered with a confident smile, dark sunglasses covering his eyes. He looked up at the building, his mouth slightly ajar as he stared at the old, yet stately mansion. 'How fancy.'

'Build in 1845, has been in the hands of the same family for generations.' Sam said as he suddenly stood behind the two, a notebook in his hands. 'Our victim didn't live here, though. He was just visiting.' He gestured the two towards the body with a wave of his hand.

'Guy looks familiar,' Tony noted as he bent over their soaked victim and casually studied him.

'His name is Aldrich Killian,' Sam continued to inform. 'Forty-six years old. No wife, no children. He was a ruthless businessman, has made the news quite a few times for all kinds of charges but was never convicted. He started out with his own company about twenty years ago and quickly made it to the top.'

'And now he's back at the bottom again,' Tony chuckled at his own joke, looking from the open windows on the third floor to the victim at his feet.

'Very clever, Stark.' A man said with an unimpressed grimace. He walked towards the two, a clipboard in hand.

'Strange,' Steve greeted the man with a nod.

'Doctor, such a pleasure as always.' Tony smiled, though the sarcasm in his voice made it clear he was teasing. 'Let me guess, the victim's cause of death was falling from that window?'

'Correct,' Strange glared at him from the corner of his eye before turning his attention towards Steve. 'He fell from approximately 30 feet into these conifers, they didn't break his fall though.'

'Well, it's clear to me, then.' Tony nodded as he placed his hands on his hips. 'Tried to close the window, slipped, fell down, dead. Easy.'

'It's always such a miracle how you solve these cases so quickly, Stark.' Strange snarled in disapproval.

'Time of death?' Steve asked quickly to intervene, knowing the arguments between his partner and the medical examiner could easily last for hours.

'Somewhere between twelve and two o'clock last night. I can't see any signs of a fight or struggle right now. I'll bring you the autopsy report as soon as I can. Now, if you'll excuse me, gentlemen,' he passed the two detectives with a nod of his head and walked back to his car.

Steve looked at his partner with one brow raised. As Tony merely smiled back and reacted with an innocent "what?" the blond just sighed. 'Where's Romanoff?'

'Talking to the woman who found the body,' Sam said as he pointed towards the redhead who already came walking towards them.

'Wanda Maximoff, twenty-three years old, born and raised in Sokovia, a small country in Europe. Came to America at the age of fourteen and now lives and works here as a maid.' Natasha informed the two. 'She found the body when she tried to close his windows on the third floor. Immediately called 911.'

With a nod of his head Steve went over the young woman, Tony right at his side. 'Miss Maximoff?' he asked gently at which the woman stood up. 'I'm Steve Rogers, Criminal Investigation Department, this is my colleague Tony Stark. I heard you found the body?'

'Call me Wanda,' She nodded as she wrapped her arms around herself and nervously shifted from one foot to the other. 'Mister Killian was staying overnight. I knocked on his door to bring him breakfast, but he didn't answer. When I walked into the room I noticed that the windows were open and when I tried to close them, I…' She wanted to continue, but a soft sob took her breath and she covered her mouth, tears gently falling from her eyes.

'Yes, why was he staying here, anyway?' Tony asked. 'This isn't a hotel, is it?'

'No, it's not.' Wanda continued, quickly wiping the tears from her cheeks. 'Miss Potts, the landowner, she invited him to stay. He came here a lot.'

'And where can we find Miss Potts?' Tony continued.

'She is of to work. I tried calling her, but she wouldn't pick up her phone. Bucky is now going after her, it won't be long before they'll be back.' The woman looked up at the two men, their questioning gaze causing her to continue with a sniffle. 'Bucky Barnes. He lives and works here as well.'

'Right,' Steve nodded. 'Did anything unusual happen last night? Did someone maybe have an argument with Mister Killian? Or did he behave any different?'

'Well, no,' Wanda frowned. 'Why do you ask? He fell out the widow, right?' Her eyes then widened, 'You are from the Criminal Investigation Department, does that mean he- was he murdered…?'

'That's what we're trying to find out,' Steve gave her a gentle smile. He looked around, taking in the large, well-kept garden, its serenity and greenery a welcome change from the hectic buzzing of New York city. As he looked around he saw a blond man staring at them from the distance, disappearing directly into a large shed the moment their eyes met. 'Well…' Steve continued as he turned towards Wanda again. 'That'll be it, for now.' He smiled and wanted to walk away, 'Oh, just one more thing. Where were you last night, between twelve and two o'clock?'

'I was in my room, asleep.'

'Any witnesses?' Tony asked lightly at which the young woman frowned, a slightly perplexed "no" being her answer.

With Tony at his side Steve made his way deeper into the garden and walked straight towards the shed, meeting the tall and broad man he saw earlier. 'Good morning, I'm Steve Rogers, Criminal Investigation Department, this is my colleague Tony Stark.'

The man was standing behind a working bench, working on an old oak chair. He looked up with bright blue eyes, his blond hair wrapped in a short ponytail. 'Thor, Odinson,' he commented curtly.

'I'm sorry to inform you, but-'

'Yeah, I already heard,' Thor interrupted Steve. 'Killian, he's dead, right? Bucky already told me.'

'You don't look all that shocked or surprised,' Tony noted with something that was balancing between a smirk and a smile.

'Do I have to?' Thor asked unimpressed, his attention already back to his project. 'We differed in a lot of things, Killian and I but that mattered not. He was always here for business with Miss Potts, so we hardly ever spoke with each other.'

'You live here as well, don't you?' Tony asked, looking at all the tools that were neatly hanging on the wall. 'What do you do for a living? Don't assume you're a maid, huh?'

'Correct,' Thor grabbed a piece of sandpaper and ripped one of the legs straight off the chair with a brute lash, causing Tony to gulp for a second. 'I work in and around the house. Mostly repairs. This mansion is old, needs a lot of maintenance.'

'Thor?' Another voice called out and the three men turned around, meeting emerald eyes. A young teen was standing in the large doorway, his hair black as a moonless night, his skin pale. He was wearing heavy boots covered in dirt and garden gloves, about a dozen roses and some green resting in his arms. His clothes covered every inch of his skin, which seemed rather odd considering these warm Summer days.

The boy froze on the spot as the two strangers looked at him. He gulped but continued nonetheless, 'Why is the police here? What's going on? I asked Wanda, but she send met to you.'

'Loki,' Thor quickly smiled and walked over to the teen, resting his hands on his shoulders. The words he then spoke left Tony and Steve to look at each other in wonder, for the blond was speaking in a language they didn't understand. They saw how Loki's mouth fell slightly ajar as Thor spoke the name of the victim, his emerald eyes darting from Thor towards the two detectives.

Thor patted Loki on his back, a reassuring smile shining through. 'Go put those flowers in a vase, Loki. I am quite certain Miss Potts will appreciate it. Ask Wanda for help, if you need to.'

The raven silently nodded and slowly walked back towards the mansion, looking over his shoulder every few steps until he was inside again.

'Hey, wait up,' Tony started, wanting to follow the child, but Thor made sure to block his way.

'He's my younger brother, turned sixteen last week. I would appreciate it if you would leave him alone.' The blond's voice was low, making his sentence sound more like a threat than a favor.

Steve sighed, but nodded. He always preferred to keep children out of these matters and he didn't have any reasons to talk with Loki specifically. Not now, anyway. 'We will leave you be,' he gave Thor a genuine smile, causing the blond to uncomfortably smile back, somewhat. 'Would you please ask Mister Barnes and Miss Potts to come to the police station as soon as they can?'

Thor nodded, wanting to turn back to his project again.

'Ah, one last question,' Tony said before turning around and he looked Thor in the eye. 'Where were you last night between twelve and two o'clock?'

Thor remained silent for a moment, answering with slightly squinted eyes. 'Asleep. No witnesses.'

The two detectives nodded, walked back to their car and returned to the police station.

'Wanne make a bet?' Tony asked as he walked through the hallway of the police station, Sam and Natasha at his side. 'Twenty bucks says it was just an accident and we are all wasting our time.'

Sam looked at the playboy with a raised brow, but then shrugged. 'Okay, why not? Twenty bucks saying it's murder.' The two shook hands while Steve walked behind them, disapprovingly shaking his head but deciding to stay out of this one.

'Ah! Rogers!' A voice sounded behind the main counter, coming from watch commander Rhodey. 'Commissioner Fury wants to have a word with you. He's waiting in his office upstairs.'

Steve sighed but nodded nonetheless. He always respected the commissioner even though they argued a lot. Fury usually disagreed on his methods during his investigations, finding his decisions either too risky or even unparliamentary.

The blond made his way up the stone stairs, following his colleagues, but where Sam, Tony and Natasha walked straight towards their own desks, Steve had to take a right into the commissioner's office. He knocked on the door before walking in, 'You wanted to see me, sir?'

'Ah, yes,' Fury looked up from behind his desk, papers and files piled up next to him. 'I heard you and your team have some time to spare, so I want you all to help me work through some files. The detective's department is late with its reports, as always, so it's about time you start on those.'

'Time to spare?' Steve asked with a frown. 'I'm in the middle of a case.'

'You mean the Killian case?' Fury shook his head, his one eye turning back to the papers he was working on. 'The man fell out of the window. It is a tragedy at most, not a case.'

Steve sighed silently, 'I think there's more going on.'

'Evidence, Rogers,' Fury murmured without looking at the man in front of him.

'I don't have any evidence, not yet. But I'm sure we'll find some if you could give me and my team some time.' Steve tried, but already saw that Fury was not buying it. He had to come up with something better.

The blond stood up and turned towards the door again with a deep and loud sigh, 'Alright, I understand. I'll probably read all about it in the newspaper tomorrow. Good luck explaining this to the Chief Police Officer, sir,' this remark caused Fury to look at Steve through his lashes, a grim expression darkening his face. Steve continued with a smile, 'Well, Killian was quite the big shot, owns a lot of properties, has been into contact with the police on multiple occasions, yet we spends our time on archive work rather than investigating his death.' The blond wrinkled his nose slightly as he held the doorknob in his hand. 'Don't think the Department of Justice will be too pleased to read that. Oh well, it's your call, sir.'

'Rogers,' Fury called the man's name just before Steve wanted to walk out of the office. 'I'm gonna give you twenty-four hours, nothing more.' He sighed deeply as he saw Steve's innocent smile. 'Get out, Rogers.'

NOTES:

And that's it for this chapter.
This is the first time for me EVER to write a mystery/detective/murder solving fic, so i'm very much open for your thoughts and feedback! :)
Also, English is not my native language, so it was a bit hard for me to figure out certain designations/titles/ranks in the police force. Please let me know if you spotted a mistake and I will be happy to correct them :)

Thanks again, next chapter will be posted in 1 or 2 days!